Apparatus for lifting and supporting an item for holding windable material

ABSTRACT

Apparatus for lifting and supporting a spool of windable material above a floor includes a pair of supports wherein each support includes a floor-engaging base and an elongated telescoping post assembly joined to the base so as to extend vertically upwardly therefrom. A lift assembly is connected to the post assembly and is releasably securable at alternative locations therealong, and the telecoping post assembly can be altered in length so that by positioning each of the supports adjacent a corresponding end of the barrel of the spool, arranging the lift assemblies of the stands in cooperating relationship with the barrel of the spool so that when lifted by the stands, the weight of the spool rests upon the lift assemblies, and then lengthening the post assembly, the spool is lifted from the floor by way of the lift assemblies.

The benefit of Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/642,220, filed May 3,2012, is hereby claimed. The disclosure of this referenced provisionalpatent application is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to material handling apparatus andrelates, more particularly, to apparatus used to lift and support anitem, such as a spool about which material is wound or can be wound, asthe item is rotated for the purpose of either unwinding the materialfrom the item or winding the material about the item.

At a construction job site, an item, such as a relatively large spool ofcoiled material, such as wire or cable, is commonly desired to besupported above a floor to facilitate the unwinding of material from thespool or the winding of material about the spool. For these purposes,there exists a class of apparatus including a pair of stands which arepositionable on opposite sides of the spool and are capable of liftingthe opposite sides of the spool from the floor to a desired elevatedposition. Heretofore, however, the stands of the prior art apparatushave not possessed the capacity to support a spool having a diameterwithin a relatively large range of diameters thereby requiring that anumber of different-sized stands be on hand if spools of differentdiameter are to be lifted and supported. Furthermore and inasmuch as aspool is more easily unwound if its axis of rotation is orientedsubstantially horizontally, stands of the prior art are commonly limitedin their capacity to support a spool for rotation about a substantiallyhorizontal axis if the underlying ground or floor is not substantiallylevel. Still further, such prior art stands are commonly susceptible totipping over during use.

It would be desirable to provide an apparatus including a pair of standspositionable on opposite sides of an item, such as a spool for holdingwindable material, for lifting the item from the floor to an elevatedcondition at which the item can be rotated during either a materialunwinding process or a material winding process. Moreover, it would alsobe desirable to provide the pair of stands with a capability for liftingand supporting a spool within a relatively broad range of spool sizes(i.e. diameters) and which strongly resists a tendency to tip overduring use.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved apparatus of the aforedescribed class for lifting andsupporting an item, such as a spool for holding windable material, tofacilitate the rotation of the item for the purpose of unwindingmaterial from the item or winding material about the item.

Another object of the present invention is to provide such an apparatuswhich is well-suited for supporting an item for rotation about asubstantially horizontal axis, even if the underlying ground or floor isnot level.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide suchapparatus which can be used to lift and support a spool having adiameter within a relatively large range of spool diameters.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such anapparatus which is uncomplicated in structure, yet effective inoperation, is relatively lightweight and easy to use, resists tippingover during use and has a relatively high load-carrying capacity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention resides in an apparatus for lifting and supporting anitem from an underlying floor wherein the item includes acentrally-disposed barrel having two opposite ends and about which awindable material is either wound or can be wound.

The apparatus includes a pair of supports wherein each support includesa floor-engaging base and an elongated telescoping post assembly. Thetelescoping post assembly has two opposite ends, an inner tube sectionwhich provides one end of the two opposite ends of the post assembly andan outer tube section which provides the other of the two opposite endsof the post assembly. One of the two opposite ends of the post assemblyis connectable to the floor-engaging base for support of the postassembly in a substantially vertical orientation with respect thereto,and the inner and outer tube sections are movable with respect to oneanother to alter the spaced distance between the two opposite ends ofthe telescoping post assembly. Each stand also includes a lift assemblywhich is connected to the other of the opposite tube sections and whichis cooperable with a corresponding end of the barrel of the item so thatwhen the stand supports the spool, at least a portion of the weight ofthe item rests upon the lift assembly. In addition, each stand includesmeans for moving the inner and outer tube sections of the telescopingpost assembly relative to one another so that the two opposite ends ofthe post assembly are moved further apart and so that by positioningeach of the supports adjacent a corresponding end of the barrel of theitem, arranging the lift assemblies of the stands in cooperatingrelationship with the barrel of the item so that when lifted by thestands, the weight of the item rests upon the lift assemblies, and thenmoving the inner and outer tube sections relative to one another so thatthe opposite ends of the telescoping post assembly are moved furtherapart, the item is lifted from the floor by way of the lift assemblies.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a two-stand apparatus within whichfeatures of the invention are embodied shown being used to support aspool of windable material above a floor.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of one of the stands of the apparatus andthe spool of FIG. 1, shown removed from one another.

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the stand shown in FIG. 2 as seengenerally from the right in FIG. 2, shown exploded.

FIG. 4 is a side elevation view of a fragment of the stand of FIG. 2, asseen from the left in FIG. 4 but showing the telescoping tube assemblywhen positioned in its position for storage.

FIG. 5 is an end elevation view of the telescoping tube assembly andbase of the FIG. 2 stand, as seen in FIG. 3 and shown partiallycut-away.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a stand fragment takenalong on line 6-6 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a fragment of the stand of FIG. 1, shownexploded.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative pair of stands withinwhich features of the invention are embodied and shown in position forlifting a spool from the floor.

FIG. 9 is a front elevation view of an alternative two-stand apparatuswithin which features of the present invention are embodied shown beingused to support a spool of windable material above a floor.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT

Turning now to the drawings in greater detail and considering firstFIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated an embodiment of an apparatus,generally indicated 20, including of a pair of stands 22, 23 withinwhich features of the present invention are embodied and shown beingused for supporting a spool 30 of wound material 39, such as electricalwire or cable, in an elevated condition above an underlying floor 26 sothat the spool 30 can be rotated about a substantially horizontal axisfor the purposes of unwinding the material 39 from the spool 30 or forwinding the material 32 about the spool 32. Each stand 22 or 23 of theapparatus 20 is positionable on the opposite sides of the spool 32 andcooperates with the spool 30 in a manner enabling the spool 36 to belifted by the stand 22 or 23 to an elevated position above the floor 26.Together, the stands 22 and 23 support the spool 30 above the floor 26for rotation about a substantially horizontal axis. As will be apparentherein, the stands 22, 23 of the apparatus 20 provide a convenient meansby which a relatively heavy spool 30 can be manipulated into an elevatedcondition above the floor 26 for the purpose of unwinding material 39from the spool 30 or winding material 39 about the spool 30.

With reference still to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a spool 30of a class of spools which can be lifted and supported by the stands 22,23. Briefly, the spool 30 includes a centrally-disposed, hollowelongated barrel 32 about which a length of coiled material 39, such aselectrical wire, steel cable, or rope or flexible sheet material, suchas flexible flooring material, is wound and includes a pair of disc-likeflanges 34, 36 attached to the opposite ends of the barrel 32 on theopposite sides of the spool 30. Each flange 34 or 36 is circular in formand defines a cylindrical rim 35 along its peripheral edge. Furthermore,there is commonly provided a bore 38 which extends through the center ofboth flanges 34, 36 and the elongated barrel 32. In addition, the bore38 defines an elongated axis 28 about which the spool 30 is rotated asthe spool 30 is supported by the apparatus 20 in an elevated conditionabove the floor 26 to facilitate the unwinding of the material 39 aboutthe spool 30 or winding of the material 39 about the spool 30.

With reference to FIGS. 1-4, each of the stands 22 or 23 includes afloor-engaging base 40 having a lengthy elongated member 42 and ashorter member 44 which is joined to one end of the elongated member 42to form a T which overlies the floor 26 when placed thereon. Each member42 or 44 of the depicted stand 22 or 23 is constructed of steel channelhaving a substantially square cross section, and the members 42 and 44are joined to one another with welds. Each base 40 further includes apair of plates 46 which are disposed on opposite sides of the elongatedmember 42 and positioned at a location along the length of the member 42which is situated about one-third of the total distance of the elongatedmember 42 as measured from the end thereof opposite the elongated member40 and are attached to the opposite sides of the member 42 with welds.In addition, the plates 46 include portions 48 which extend upwardlyfrom the member 42, as viewed in FIGS. 3 and 4, and these portions 48are provided with three sets of aligned through-openings 49, 51 and 53wherein the sets of openings 49 and 51 are vertically disposed withrespect to one another and wherein the sets of openings 49 and 53 arehorizontally disposed with respect to one another. As will be apparentherein and during use of the stand 22 or 23, the T-shaped formation ofthe base 40 is positioned flat upon the underlying floor 26 so that theportions 48 of the plates 46 are directed substantially upwardly.Meanwhile, the sets of openings 49, 51 and 53 are utilized in theattachment of the base 40 to other componentry of the stand 22 or 23.

As best shown in FIGS. 3-5, each stand 22 or 23 further includes anelongated telescoping post assembly 50 having two opposite ends 52 and54 and which is joined at one end 52 to the floor-engaging base 40. Eachtelescoping post assembly 50 includes a hollow inner tube section 60(which provides the end 52 of the assembly 50) and a hollow outer tubesection 62 (which provides the end 54 of the assembly 50), and at leasta portion of the inner tube section 60 is accepted by the hollowinterior of the outer tube section 62 through an open end thereof. Theinner and outer tube sections 60 and 62 are sized to permit the tubesections 60 and 62 to telescopically move relative to one another andthereby permit the spaced distance between the ends 52, 54 of the tubeassembly 50 to be altered. Within the depicted apparatus 20, each innerand outer tube sections 60 and 62 are comprised of steel tubing having asubstantially square cross section.

For attachment of the telescoping post assembly 50 to the floor-engagingbase 40, the inner tube sections 60 defines a set of aligned openings 64disposed adjacent the end 52 of the assembly 50, and the inner tubesections 60 is positioned between the plates 46 of the base 40 so thatits openings 64 are aligned with the set of openings 49 of the plates46. The tube assembly 50 is connected to the base 40 with a bolt 56whose shank extends through the aligned sets of openings 49 and 64 andwhich is secured therethrough with a nut 57.

The telescoping tube assembly 50 is pivotally movable relative to thebase 40 about the bolt 56 between a position of use as shown in FIGS.1-3 and in phantom in FIG. 4 at which the tube assembly 50 extendssubstantially vertically upwardly from the base 40 and a position forstorage as seen in solid lines in FIG. 4 at which the tube assembly 50overlies and is arranged substantially parallel to the elongated member42 of the base 40. For purposes of securing the tube assembly 50 ineither of the aforedescribed position for use or the position forstorage, the inner tube section 60 further defines a set of alignedopenings 66 (FIG. 3) which are spaced from the openings 64 and which arealigned with the sets of openings 51 or 53 of the plates when the tubeassembly 50 is positioned in a corresponding one of its position of useand its position for storage.

More specifically, when the tube assembly 50 is disposed about the bolt56 in its FIG. 4 phantom-line position (of use) at which the tubeassembly 50 extends vertically upwardly from the base 40, the set ofopenings 56 are aligned with the set of plate openings 51; and when thetube assembly 50 is disposed about the bolt 56 in its FIG. 4 solid-lineposition (for storage) at which the tube assembly 50 is arrangedsubstantially parallel to the elongated member 42 of the base 40, theset of openings 66 are aligned with the sets of plate openings 53. A pin58 (with a key 59) is used to secure the tube assembly 50 in itsposition of use or in its position for storage by directing the pin 58endwise through the aligned sets of openings 51, 66 or the aligned setsof openings 53, 66. In addition, the outer tube portion 62 defines aseries of indentations 79 along one side member thereof for a reasonwhich will become apparent herein.

It is a feature of the invention that the stands 22 and 23 includemeans, generally indicated 80 in FIG. 5, for telescopically moving theouter and inner tube sections 60 and 62 relative to one another tothereby alter the distance between the post assembly ends 52 and 54.Within the depicted apparatus 20 and as best shown in FIG. 5, the movingmeans 80 includes a screw jack assembly 70 associated with each of thetelescoping post assemblies 50 enabling a user to mechanically move theopposite ends 52 and 54 of a corresponding post assembly 50 toward andaway from one another. As best shown in FIG. 5, each screw jack assembly70 includes a rotatable screw 72 which is rotatably mounted within theinterior of the outer tube section 62 by way of a bearing member 73mounted adjacent the upper end, as viewed in FIG. 5, of the outer tubesection 62 and an internally-threaded nut, or collar member 74, which isfixedly secured within the interior of the inner tube section 60adjacent the upper end thereof. With the screw 72 threadably accepted bythe collar member 74, rotation of the screw 72 in one rotationaldirection along the length of the outer tube section 62 forcibly movesthe opposite ends 52 and 54 of the post assembly 50 away from oneanother, and rotation of the screw 72 in the opposite rotationaldirection along the length of the outer tube section 62 forcibly movesthe opposite ends 52 and 54 of the post assembly 50 toward one another.

To facilitate the manual manipulation, or rotation, of the screw 72 by auser, there is provided a handle 76 which is joined at one end of thescrew 72 (i.e. adjacent the end 54 of the elongated post assembly 50).By grasping the grip, indicated 78, of the handle 76 and then rotatingthe handle 76 about the bearing member 73, the screw 72 is forced torotate about its longitudinal axis. The handle 76 is pivotally connectedto the screw 72 to facilitate the folding of the stand 22 into arelatively compact unit for storage.

With reference to FIGS. 6 and 7, it is also a feature of the inventionthat each stand 22 or 23 includes a lift assembly 90 which is connectedto the outer tube section 62 and which is cooperable with acorresponding side of the spool 30 so that when the stands 22 and 23support the spool 30, the weight of the stand 30 rests upon the liftassemblies 90. Although the lift assemblies 90 can take any of a numberof forms, each lift assembly 90 of the depicted stands 22 and 23 includea rotatable arbor, or elongated cylindrical tubular member 92, which canbe accepted by the open ends of the barrel 32 of the spool 30 forpurposes of lifting the spool 30 from the sides thereof. The tubularmember 92 of each stand 22 or 23 is relatively short in length (e.g. nomore than about one foot in length), has two opposite ends 94 and 96 andwhich is joined at one end 94 to the telescoping tube assembly 50 sothat the other end 96 of the tubular member 92 extends horizontally toone side of the telescoping tube assembly 50.

For purposes of joining the tubular member end 94 to the telescopingtube assembly 50, there is provided a collar member 98 (within which thetubular member end 94 is positioned) and a bracket 100 which is joinedto the collar member 98. The bracket 100 is U-shaped in cross section,and the legs of the bracket 100 are secured, as with welds, to thecollar member 98 along one side thereof. Meanwhile, there is interposedbetween the collar member 98 and the tubular member 92 a bearingassembly 102 which permits the tubular member 92 to rotate about itshorizontal axis with relative ease.

The bracket 100 has a central opening 108 which is sized to be closelyaccepted about the outer tube section 62 when positioned thereover yetpermit the bracket 100 to be slidably moved along the length of theouter tube section 62 to alter the position therealong. Furthermore,there is associated with the lift assembly 90 a means, generallyindicated 110, for releasably securing the bracket 100 in a fixedposition along the length of the outer tube section 62. Within thedepicted stands 22 and 23, the means 110 for releasably securingincludes an elongated pin 112 which is supported on one side of thebracket 100 for movement into and out of a selected indentation 79 ofthe series of indentations 79 defined along one side member of the outertube section 62 (and thus between a position shown in solid lines inFIG. 6 and a position shown in phantom in FIG. 6). In this connection,there is provided pin-supporting hardware 114 which is joined to oneside member, indicated 116, of the four side members of the bracket 100,and the side member 116 defines an opening 118 through which an end,indicated 124, of the pin 112 extends. Furthermore, the hardware 114includes a sleeve member 120 within which the pin 112 is slidablypositioned, and a compression spring 122 is disposed about the pin 112for acting between one end of the sleeve member 120 and the pin 112 sothat the pin end 124 is biased toward the outer tube section 62 or, morespecifically, into an indentation 79 defined along the outer tubesection 62. The pin 112 is provided with a handle 125 which facilitatesthe manual withdrawal of the pin end 124 from an indentation 98.

To alter the position of the lift assembly 90 along the length of theouter tube section 62, the handle 125 of the pin 112 is pulled (againstthe biasing force of the compression spring 122) to withdraw the pin end124 from the indentation 79 within which the pin end 124 is positioned,and then the bracket 100 is slidably moved along the length of the outertube section 62 to a selected location therealong. At that point, thehandle 125 of the pin 112 is released so that the spring 122 ispermitted to urge the pin end 124 into an alternative indentation 79defined along the length of the outer tube section 62 or, morespecifically, the indentation 98 situated closest to the location alongthe length of the outer tube section 62 at which the lift assembly 90 isdesired to be secured.

As best seen in FIGS. 4 and 7, each lift assembly 90 is also providedwith an elongated grip member 162 which is joined to the underside ofthe collar member 98 so as to extend generally parallel to thetelescoping post assembly 50. The grip member 162 is advantageous inthat when the post assembly 50 is secured adjacent the base 40 in itsFIG. 4, position for storage, the grip member 162 provides a handle withwhich the stand 22 or 23 can be carried by a user between sites.

With reference again to FIG. 1 and to use the apparatus 20 for thepurpose of lifting and supporting the spool 30 in a stationary positionabove the underlying floor 26, the spool 30 is oriented upon the floor26 so that its rims 35 rest upon the floor 26 and the barrel 32 isarranged substantially horizontally. At that point, the stands 22 and 23(with the telescoping post assemblies 50 securely arranged in theupright, or vertical, position for use) are positioned on opposite sidesof the spool 30, and the tubular member 92 of the lift assemblies 90 ofeach stand 22 or 23 is thereafter directed endwise into a correspondingopen end, or bore 38, of the spool barrel 32. It will be understood thatin order to position the tubular members 92 of the stands 22 and 23 intohorizontal registry with the central bore 38 of the spool 30, the liftassemblies 90 of the stands 22 and 23 may have to be raised or loweredfrom an initial position along the length of the outer tube section 62by shifting the bracket 100, as necessary, along the length of thesection 62 and re-securing the bracket 100 to the section 62 with thepin 112.

It will also be understood that in order to manipulate the tubularmember 92 into a corresponding open end of the spool barrel 38, thestand 22 or 23 must be bodily shifted across the floor 26 as the tubularmember 92 is directed endways into an end of the barrel 38. However,neither of the stands 22 or 23 of the depicted apparatus 20 is veryheavy (and in fact, weighs no more than about thirty-five pounds) sothat the bodily shifting of either stand 22 or 23 across the floor 26can be effected with relative ease. It also follows that since thetubular member 92 is to be directed into a corresponding open end of thespool barrel 32 when used, the outer diameter of the tubular member 92is smaller than the inner diameter of the open ends, or bore 38, of thespool barrel 32.

With the tubular members 92 of the stands 22 and 23 positioned withinthe opposite open ends of the spool barrel 32, the handles 76 of thescrew jack assemblies 70 are appropriately rotated to lengthen thetelescoping tube assemblies 50, and thus raise the tubular members 92from the floor 26. It follows that as the tubular members 92 are raised,the spool 30 is raised from the floor 26 as the tubular members 92 pressupwardly against the upper surface of the interior of the spool barrel32. The raising of the tubular members 92 can be halted when thecylindrical rims 35 edges of the spool 30 are lifted from the floor adistance sufficient to accommodate the rotation of the spool 30 aboutthe longitudinal axis of the tubular members 92 without interferencewith the underlying floor 26.

It will also be understood that because the horizontal level, or height,of the tubular member 92 of each stand 22 or 23 relative to theunderlying floor or ground can be set independently of the other stand23 or 22, the stands 22 and 23 can be adjusted, as necessary, toposition the tubular members 92 of the stands 22 and 23 into horizontalregistry with one another—no matter how unlevel the underlying floor orground upon which the stands 22 and 23 are positioned, so that thebarrel 32 of the spool 30 can be maintained in a relatively horizontalorientation during a material winding or unwinding process. Thus, thecapacity to independently alter the horizontal level of the tubularmembers 92 of the stands 22 and 23 and position the tubular members 92of the stands 22 and 23 into horizontal registry with one another and isadvantageous in this respect.

It follows from the foregoing that a relatively compact and lightweightdevice 20 has been described which can be used to lift a spool 30 fromthe floor 26 and thereafter support the spool 30 while the spool 30 isrotated as material (e.g. a wire or cable) is either unwound from thebarrel 32 of the spool 30 or wound about the barrel 32 of the spool 30.Since a spool 30 need only be raised from the underlying floor 26 adistance to permit clearance of the cylindrical rim 35 of the spool 30as the spool 30 is rotated about the longitudinal axis of its barrel 32,the spool 30 need not be raised very high (e.g. about 0.5 inches) fromthe floor 26 by the stands 22 and 23.

By way of example, the following dimensions of the depicted apparatus 20(i.e. its stands 22 and 23) are provided here as follows: The length ofthe elongated member 42 of the floor-engaging base 40 of each stand 22or 23 (which provides the length-dimension of the stand 22 or 23) is atleast about thirty-six inches long, and is preferably about thirty-seveninches in length; the length of the elongated member 44 of thefloor-engaging base 40 of each stand 22 or 23 (which provides thewidth-dimension of the stand 22 or 23) is about ten inches long; theinner and outer tube sections 60 and 62 of the telescoping post assembly50 of each stand 22 or 23 have been sized (in length) to be capable oflifting a spool 30 having a diameter within the range of abouttwenty-two inches and seventy-two inches. That is to say, when the liftassembly 90 is secured at its lowest possible position along the lengthof the outer tube section 62 (as viewed in FIG. 3) and the telescopingpost assembly 50 is retracted to its shortest possible length, thetubular member 92 can be accepted by an open end of the barrel 32 of aspool 30 having a diameter of about twenty-two inches. Conversely, whenthe lift assembly 90 is secured at its highest possible position alongthe length of the outer tube section 62 and the telescoping postassembly 50 is lengthened to its longest possible length, the tubularmember 92 can be accepted by an open end of the barrel 32 of a spool 30having a diameter of about seventy-two inches.

The diameter of the tubular member 92 of the depicted stands 22 and 23is about 2.0 inches, but a tubular member 92 having a diameter of about1.5 inches has been found to be satisfactory. Furthermore, the bearingassembly 102 which supports the tubular member 92 is rated for 20,000pounds, thus enabling the tubular member 92 (and any spool supportedthereby) to be rotated relatively smoothly and easily, even forrelatively heavy loads (e.g. up to about 6,000 pounds).

Further still and because the floor-engaging base 40 possesses suchlarge length and width dimensions (i.e. at least thirty-six inches byten inches), the stands 22 and 23 resist tipping over when used to lifta spool 30.

It has been found that a device 20 embodying the aforediscussed featuresis capable of lifting from the floor 26 a spool 30 weighing up to sixthousand pounds and does not have to be anchored in place when used tolift a spool 30.

It will be understood that numerous modifications and substitutions canbe had to the aforedescribed embodiment 20 without departing from thespirit of the invention. For example, although the screw jack assembly70 has been shown and described as being mounted at one end (i.e. thetop) of the telescoping post assembly 50, stands which embody featuresof the invention can employ a screw jack assembly which has been mountedupon a side of the post assembly 50.

Furthermore and although each spool-engaging (e.g. tubular) member 92 ofthe lift assembly 90 of the depicted stands 22 and 23 has been shown anddescribed as being cylindrical in form, such spool-engaging members cantake alternative forms. For example, there is illustrated in FIG. 8 aspool 130 having a centrally-disposed barrel 132 having ends 133 whichprotrude axially outwardly of the spool barrel 132. For purposes oflifting and supporting such protruding barrel ends 133, there is alsoshown in FIG. 8 a pair of stands 140, 141 which each employ atelescoping post assembly 50 and a lift assembly 142 having asubstantially U-shaped bracket 144 which is supportedly attached to thetelescoping post assembly 50 in a manner comparable to the manner inwhich the lift assembly 90 is supportedly attached to the post assembly50 of the stands 22 and 23 of FIGS. 1-6. Within each of the depictedstands 140 or 141 of FIG. 8, the U shape of the U-shaped bracket 144opens substantially upwardly and can be positioned beneath a protrudingend 133 of the spool barrel 132 so that when raised by way of a screwjack assembly 70 of the stand 140 or 141, the U of the U-shaped form ofthe bracket 144 acts as a cradle which nestingly accepts the protrudingbarrel end 133. A continued raising of the bracket 144 by the jack screw70 lifts the spool 130 from the underlying floor 26 as the weight of thespool 130 rests upon the U-shaped brackets 144.

Further still, although the aforedescribed stands 22 and 23 have beenshown and described as including a lift assembly 90 whose tubular member92 is supported by a bearing assembly 102 to facilitate the manualrotation of a spool 30 supported upon the lift assembly 90, a motor(e.g. an electric motor) can be associated with the lift assembly 90 forforcibly rotating the tubular member 92 so that the spool 30 supportedupon the lift assembly 90 is rotated thereby. For example, there isdepicted in FIG. 9, a stand 150 having a telescoping post assembly 50, alift assembly 152 supported upon the post assembly 50 and an electricmotor 154 which is supported (e.g. by way of a bracket 148) upon thepost assembly 50 adjacent the lift assembly 152. The lift assembly 152has a cylindrical tubular member 156 which is mounted for rotation(within the remainder of the lift assembly 152) about its longitudinalaxis, and the motor 154 has a drive shaft 158 which is connected indrivingly relationship with the tubular member 156 (by way of, forexample, a gear member 160) so that actuation of the motor 154 forciblyrotates the tubular member 156 about its longitudinal axis. Thereforeand when a spool 30 is supported at one end by the tubular member 156and the tubular member 156 is rotated by the motor 154, the spool 30, inturn, is rotated about the longitudinal axis of its barrel 32.

Accordingly, the aforedescribed embodiment 20 is intended for thepurpose of illustration and not as limitation.

1. Apparatus for lifting and supporting an item from an underlying floorwherein the item includes a centrally-disposed barrel having twoopposite ends and about which a windable material is either wound or canbe wound, said apparatus comprising: a pair of supports wherein eachsupport includes a) a floor-engaging base; b) an elongated telescopingpost assembly having two opposite ends, an inner tube section whichprovides one end of the two opposite ends of the post assembly and anouter tube section which provides the other end of the two opposite endsof the post assembly wherein one end of the two opposite ends of thepost assembly is connectable to the floor-engaging base for support ofthe post assembly in a substantially vertical orientation with respectthereto and wherein the inner and outer tube sections are movablerelative to one another to alter the spaced distance between the twoopposite ends of the telescoping post assembly and wherein the outertube section has a length; and c) a lift assembly includes a body whichis positioned about the outer tube section of the telescoping postassembly and which is movable relative to and along the length of theouter tube section, and the lift assembly includes a member which iscooperable with a corresponding end of the barrel of the item so thatwhen the item is supported by the support, at least a portion of theweight of the item is borne by the member of the lift assembly; and d)means for moving the inner and outer tube sections of the telescopingpost assembly relative to one another so that the two opposite ends ofthe post assembly are moved further apart so that by positioning each ofthe supports adjacent a corresponding end of the barrel of the item,arranging the lift assemblies of the supports in cooperatingrelationship with the barrel of the item so that when lifted by thesupports, the weight of the item is borne by the lift assemblies, andthen moving the inner and outer tube sections relative to one another sothat the opposite ends of the telescoping post assembly are movedfurther apart, the item is lifted from the floor by way of the liftassemblies; and each support further includes means for releasablysecuring the lift assembly at alternative locations along the length ofthe outer tube section.
 2. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 whereinthe telescoping post assembly is pivotally connected to thefloor-engaging base for movement of the telescoping post assembly withrespect thereto between a position for use and a position for storage.3. The apparatus as defined in claim 2 wherein the floor-engaging baseincludes a pair of plates between which the one of the two opposite endsof the post assembly is positioned and pivotally secured for pivotalmovement of the post assembly between a position of use at which thepost assembly is arranged substantially vertically with respect to thefloor-engaging base and a position for storage at which the stand isarranged in a relatively compact arrangement, and each stand furtherincludes means for selectively securing the telescoping post assembly ineither its position of use or its position for storage.
 4. The apparatusas defined in claim 3 wherein the pair of plates defines two sets ofaligned openings, the telescoping post assembly defines an opening whichis positioned in registry with one of the two sets of aligned openingswhen the telescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to thefloor-engaging base to its position of use and which is positioned inregistry with the other of the two sets of aligned openings when thetelescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to the floor-engaging baseto its position for storage, and the means for selectively securingincludes a pin which can be directed through one or the other sets ofaligned openings defined in the pair of plates for securing thetelescoping post assembly in either its position of use or its positionfor storage.
 5. (canceled)
 6. (canceled)
 7. (canceled)
 8. (canceled) 9.The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the other of the twoopposite ends of the post assembly has a side member along which aseries of indentations are defined, the lift assembly includes a pinwhich is mounted for movement into and out of an indentation of theseries of indentations to either secure the lift assembly to the otherof the two opposite ends of the post assembly or release the liftassembly from the other end of the two opposite ends of the postassembly to accommodate the movement of the lift assembly along thelength of the other of the two opposite ends of the post assembly forsecurement of the lift assembly to the other end of the two oppositeends of the post assembly at an alternate location therealong.
 10. Theapparatus as defined in claim 9 wherein the lift assembly includes meansfor biasing the pin into an indentation as aforesaid.
 11. The apparatusas defined in claim 1 wherein the base includes a first elongated memberand a second elongated member which are joined together to form a “T”.12. (canceled)
 13. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the meansfor moving includes a screw jack assembly which is interposed betweenthe inner and outer tube sections so that upon manipulation of the screwjack assembly, the opposite ends of the post assembly can be movedtoward and away from one another to alter the spaced distance betweenthe opposite ends of the post assembly.
 14. (canceled)
 15. (canceled)16. (canceled)
 17. (canceled)
 18. (canceled)
 19. (canceled) 20.(canceled)
 21. The apparatus as defined in claim 1 wherein the means forreleasably securing includes a pin-including arrangement for securingthe lift assembly in a fixed relationship along the length of the outertube section.
 22. The apparatus as defined in claim 21 wherein the outertube section has a side member along which a series of indentations aredefined, the lift assembly includes a pin which is mounted for movementinto and out of an indentation of the series of indentations to eithersecure the lift assembly to the outer tube section or release the liftassembly from the outer tube section of the post assembly to accommodatethe movement of the body of the lift assembly along the length of theouter tube section of the post assembly for securement of the liftassembly to the outer tube section of the post assembly at an alternatelocation therealong.
 23. The apparatus as defined in claim 22 whereinthe pin is movable relative to the remainder of the lift assemblybetween an extended condition at which the pin is accepted by anindentation and a retracted condition at which the pin is withdrawn fromthe extended condition, and the lift assembly includes means for biasingthe pin from the retracted condition toward the extended condition. 24.An apparatus for lifting and supporting an item from an underlying floorwherein the item includes a centrally-disposed barrel having twoopposite ends and about which a windable material is either wound or canbe wound, and wherein there is associated with the elongated barrel ofthe item a protuberance member which protrudes substantially axiallyfrom each of the two opposite ends of the barrel and with which the itemcan be lifted from the underlying floor, said apparatus comprising: apair of supports wherein each support includes a) a floor-engaging base;b) an elongated telescoping post assembly having two opposite ends, aninner tube section which provides one end of the two opposite ends ofthe post assembly and an outer tube section which provides the other endof the two opposite ends of the post assembly wherein one end of the twoopposite ends of the post assembly is connectable to the floor-engagingbase for support of the post assembly in a substantially verticalorientation with respect thereto and wherein the inner and outer tubesections are movable relative to one another to alter the spaceddistance between the two opposite ends of the telescoping post assemblyand wherein the outer tube section has a length; and c) a lift assemblyincluding a body which is positioned about the outer tube section of thetelescoping tube assembly and which is movable relative to and along thelength of the outer tube section, and the lift assembly includes abracket which is adapted to accept a protuberance member associated witha corresponding end of the two opposite ends of the elongated barrel ofthe item so that when the item is supported by the stand, the bracketacts as a cradle within which the protruberance member is accepted; d)means for moving the inner and outer tube sections of the telescopingpost assembly relative to one another so that the two opposite ends ofthe post assembly are moved further apart; and e) means for releasablysecuring the lift assembly at alternative locations along the length ofthe outer tube section so that by positioning each of the supportsadjacent a corresponding end of the barrel of the item, arranging thelift assemblies of the supports in such a relationship with theprotuberance members associated with the two opposite ends of the barrelof the item so that when the item is lifted by the supports, theprotuberance members are accepted by the brackets of the supports, andthen moving the inner and outer tube sections relative to one another sothat the opposite ends of the telescoping post assembly are movedfurther apart, the item is lifted from the floor by way of the liftassemblies.
 25. The apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein thetelescoping post assembly is pivotally connected to the floor-engagingbase for movement of the telescoping post assembly with respect theretobetween a position for use and a position for storage.
 26. The apparatusas defined in claim 25 wherein the floor-engaging base includes a pairof plates between which the one of the two opposite ends of the postassembly is positioned and pivotally secured for pivotal movement of thepost assembly between a position of use at which the post assembly isarranged substantially vertically with respect to the floor-engagingbase and a position for storage at which the stand is arranged in arelatively compact arrangement, and each stand further includes meansfor selectively securing the telescoping post assembly in either itsposition of use or its position for storage.
 27. The apparatus asdefined in claim 26 wherein the pair of plates defines two sets ofaligned openings, the telescoping post assembly defines an opening whichis positioned in registry with one of the two sets of aligned openingswhen the telescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to thefloor-engaging base to its position of use and which is positioned inregistry with the other of the two sets of aligned openings when thetelescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to the floor-engaging baseto its position for storage, and the means for selectively securingincludes a pin which can be directed through one or the other sets ofaligned openings defined in the pair of plates for securing thetelescoping post assembly in either its position of use or its positionfor storage.
 28. The apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein the outertube section of the post assembly has a side member along which a seriesof indentations are defined, the lift assembly includes a pin which ismounted for movement into and out of an indentation of the series ofindentations to either secure the lift assembly to the outer tubesection or release the lift assembly from the outer tube section of thepost assembly to accommodate the movement of the lift assembly along thelength of the outer tube section of the post assembly for securement ofthe lift assembly to the outer tube section at an alternate locationtherealong.
 29. The apparatus as defined in claim 29 wherein the pin ismovable relative to the remainder of the lift assembly between anextended condition at which the pin is accepted by an indentation and aretracted condition at which the pin is withdrawn from the extendedcondition, and the lift assembly includes means for biasing the pin fromthe retracted condition toward the extended condition.
 30. The apparatusas defined in claim 24 wherein the base includes a first elongatedmember and a second elongated member which are joined together to form a“T”.
 31. The apparatus as defined in claim 24 wherein the means formoving includes a screw jack assembly which is interposed between theinner and outer tube sections so that upon manipulation of the screwjack assembly, the opposite ends of the post assembly can be movedtoward and away from one another to alter the spaced distance betweenthe opposite ends of the post assembly.
 32. The apparatus as defined inclaim 24 wherein the means for releasably securing includes apin-including arrangement for securing the lift assembly in a fixedrelationship along the length of the outer tube section.
 33. Apparatusfor lifting and supporting one end of a two-ended item from anunderlying floor wherein the item includes a centrally-disposed barrelhaving two opposite ends and about which a windable material is eitherwound or can be wound, said apparatus comprising a support including: a)a floor-engaging base; b) an elongated telescoping post assembly havingtwo opposite ends, an inner tube section which provides one end of thetwo opposite ends of the post assembly and an outer tube section whichprovides the other end of the two opposite ends of the post assemblywherein one end of the two opposite ends of the post assembly isconnectable to the floor-engaging base for support of the post assemblyin a substantially vertical orientation with respect thereto and whereinthe inner and outer tube sections are movable relative to one another toalter the spaced distance between the two opposite ends of thetelescoping post assembly and wherein the outer tube section has alength; and c) a lift assembly including a body which is positionedabout the outer tube section of the telescoping post assembly and whichis movable relative to and along the length of the outer tube section,and the lift assembly includes a member which is cooperable with one endof the barrel of the item so that when the one end of the barrel of theitem is supported by the support, at least a portion of the weight ofthe item is borne by the member of the lift assembly; d) means formoving the inner and outer tube sections of the telescoping postassembly relative to one another so that the two opposite ends of thepost assembly are moved further apart; and e) means for releasablysecuring the lift assembly at alternative locations along the length ofthe outer tube section so that by positioning the support adjacent oneend of the barrel of the item, arranging the lift assembly of thesupport in cooperating relationship with the one end of the barrel ofthe item so that when lifted by the support, the one end of the item isborne by the lift assembly, and then moving the inner and outer tubesections relative to one another so that the opposite ends of thetelescoping post assembly are moved further apart, the one end of thebarrel of the item is lifted from the floor by way of the lift assembly.34. The apparatus as defined in claim 33 wherein the telescoping postassembly is pivotally connected to the floor-engaging base for movementof the telescoping post assembly with respect thereto between a positionfor use and a position for storage.
 35. The apparatus as defined inclaim 34 wherein the floor-engaging base includes a pair of platesbetween which the one of the two opposite ends of the post assembly ispositioned and pivotally secured for pivotal movement of the postassembly between a position of use at which the post assembly isarranged substantially vertically with respect to the floor-engagingbase and a position for storage at which the stand is arranged in arelatively compact arrangement, and each stand further includes meansfor selectively securing the telescoping post assembly in either itsposition of use or its position for storage.
 36. The apparatus asdefined in claim 35 wherein the pair of plates defines two sets ofaligned openings, the telescoping post assembly defines an opening whichis positioned in registry with one of the two sets of aligned openingswhen the telescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to thefloor-engaging base to its position of use and which is positioned inregistry with the other of the two sets of aligned openings when thetelescoping post assembly is pivoted relative to the floor-engaging baseto its position for storage, and the means for selectively securingincludes a pin which can be directed through one or the other sets ofaligned openings defined in the pair of plates for securing thetelescoping post assembly in either its position of use or its positionfor storage.
 37. The apparatus as defined in claim 33 wherein the otherof the two opposite ends of the post assembly has a side member alongwhich a series of indentations are defined, the lift assembly includes apin which is mounted for movement into and out of an indentation of theseries of indentations to either secure the lift assembly to the otherof the two opposite ends of the post assembly or release the liftassembly from the other end of the two opposite ends of the postassembly to accommodate the movement of the lift assembly along thelength of the other of the two opposite ends of the post assembly forsecurement of the lift assembly to the other end of the two oppositeends of the post assembly at an alternate location therealong.
 38. Theapparatus as defined in claim 37 wherein the pin is movable relative tothe remainder of the lift assembly between an extended condition atwhich the pin is accepted by an indentation and a retracted condition,and the lift assembly includes means for biasing the pin from theretracted condition toward the extended condition.
 39. The apparatus asdefined in claim 33 wherein the base includes a first elongated memberand a second elongated member which are joined together to form a “T”.40. The apparatus as defined in claim 33 wherein the means for movingincludes a screw jack assembly which is interposed between the inner andouter tube sections so that upon manipulation of the screw jackassembly, the opposite ends of the post assembly can be moved toward andaway from one another to alter the spaced distance between the oppositeends of the post assembly.
 41. The apparatus as defined in claim 33wherein the means for releasably securing includes a pin-includingarrangement for securing the lift assembly in a fixed relationship alongthe length of the outer tube section.